THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Maybe we should be careful what we pray for

I remarked to a friend on a soggy miserable day in July that in all my 75 years I could not remember a worse summer than 2012.

He couldn’t confirm this, but then he wasn’t 75. However, I noticed recently that official statistics record 2012 as the wettest summer in 100 years.

The implications of such an atrocious summer were made abundantly clear last week when farmers, rural communities and rural industries reported huge losses on their enterprises – through lack of visitors to events and poor rewards for growers.

Doubtless this will filter through to the rest of us by way of increased prices in our grocery bills.

And yet, back in April drought orders were the name of the game with whole areas under intense restrictions. How things can change.

One wit wrote to my national daily paper: “Come on, own up, who was it prayed for rain!?”

Doubtless many did and their prayers were answered with interest. What does this tell us? Prayers are answered, but not always in the way we expect and maybe we should be careful what we pray for.